The Leira Files: Labyrinth
by le chat noir1
Summary: There's a new big bad in town (in the highschool, surprise surprise) emotions are running rampant and then Leira, a "not so normal" girl with tendencies for biting and long speeches turns up to upset it even more. Oh yeah, and is the world doomed (again)?
1. Author's Notes

Author's Notes  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: Ok, I don't own any of the Buffy (or Angel) characters mentioned in this work, which is property of Joss Whendon and the other wonderful associates blah blah blah. I'm only laying claim on the plot and Leira, who, whilst being my own creation is fictitious etc. I'm sure you guys know the drill, OK?  
  
I've sorted this under a B/S fiction, because those are the main characters, of course, and I am promising everyone a happy ending, B/S- wise. Cross my heart, hope not to get staked.  
  
I'd also like other people's help to write this - I don't know how long it's going to be, or what will happen. Please review, it really does help, or if you want to say something personally or having any longer reviews or suggestions for storylines / characters, please email me at rainha_dos_amazons@hotmail.com. I'll make a note to all who help in these areas. I'd appreciate anything you have to say, I'll even write up a character for you if you give me details and they fit in.  
  
Each chapter has a little bit of a summary for the next chapter down the bottom, just so you can see the gradual storyline and get some hints. Again, if I get any tips / stories from other people I'll make sure I recognize you here. Please review or send me an email, I'll be eternally grateful!  
  
That's about all I have to say. Just so you know, the first couple of chapters are kind of slow, but they do get into it. B/S all the way! We all know it's going to happen, we all know it's going to be a bumpy road, so jump in for the ride.  
  
  
  
Labyrinth  
  
"Apocalypse? Again?"  
  
Leira, part of an ancient Shar'ayj prophecy turns up in Sunnydale in the midst of the mess - Spike's back from Africa with a new soul, Buffy's not in the best of moods, Xander and Anya are still awkward, Willows in rehab at home and little Dawnie's getting insanely jealous. Then, of course, there's the little business with The Great Doom and the Labyrinth, not to mention the little critters leaking out all over town. Could she be just what Sunnydale needs, or does the new girl on the block have some secrets of her own? 


	2. Leira

Leira  
  
The Magic Box door swung shut after Buffy, and another glanced revealed a gathering of the Scoobies, minus Willow and Tara. God rest her soul, Buffy added, before feeling sick with the realization that Spike was present.  
  
She was about to let rip with the insults, but another figure caught her attention. A dark-eyed, dark-haired and dangerously curved young woman. She looked about eighteen and had the body and stance of a warrior, one used to combat.  
  
"Buffy. Glad you could join us," Giles smiled weakly over his glasses, looking tired. He opened his mouth to say more, but  
  
"Oh, oh, oh!" squeaked Anya, tottering on glitzy heels, "let me do the introductions, please?"  
  
Giles moved back from the limelight.  
  
"Guys, this is Leira. Leira, these are the Scoobies. Minus Willow." She smiled sadly for a moment before perking up. "Anyway. This is Dawn," she halted, "Xander," fragile, "Spike and Buffy."  
  
"Hey,"  
  
"Yes." Anya smiled gleefully. "She's turned up to stay in Sunnydale for awhile." chirruped the ex-demon, "isn't that great?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Whoa, tough crowd." Leira flashed them one straight-toothed smile.  
  
"Sorry," Buffy shook her head. "Nice to meet you." The others mumbled hellos, and Buffy was painfully aware of Spikes eyes on her. Does she know about us? Thought Buffy. About vampires and demons and the whole evil- thingy?  
  
"Nice collection you got," Leira smiled a perfect grin. Dawn froze inside for some reason. "Weapons and all. Even Kit didn't have this nice a stuff."  
  
"Kit?" Xander was suspicious.  
  
"Demon. Nice. Kinda on the pale side, but hey, good in the other departments." She finished with an innocent grin to round off her not-so innocent comment.  
  
Dawn looked at Leira. She was only a year or two older than her, but so much.better. No, she told herself. She's one of those types who dates demons. Sure, Xander is too, and Buffy's had her go at a vamp or two, but.She's too pretty to be a better fighter than me. Surely? OK, so she looks kinda able. And smart. And really pretty. And Anya loves her. Buffy seems to like her. Giles is into her. Spike's making eyes at her. But, I'm here too. Why doesn't anyone notice me?  
  
"Hey, you're the key right?" Leira said suddenly. Dawn snapped out of her silent dialogue.  
  
"Um.yes.?"  
  
"How do you know?" demanded Buffy, trying to maintain a cool exterior.  
  
"Oh, you know," Leira smiled fleetingly at Anya's rapid shakes of her head behind the Slayer's figure. "Connections."  
  
Spike smiled slyly. Xander opened his mouth. Lately he'd been bitter, the former wariness of Anya was now gone and he wasn't afraid to dob his ex- fiancée in. Leira glanced at him, reading him instantly. Call it teenager's intuition.  
  
"Couple of rowdy vampires, if you must know. Gauzy makeup, no fashion sense, into the whole gossip thing. We had a good chat before I dusted them."  
  
"Wait," Spike interjected, "you do the slaying thing?"  
  
"Obviously, a girls gotta get exercise" she looked at him, straight in the eye. It was a while since anyone had done that. Spike shrugged, evil grin.  
  
"I like this girl more and more. How old were you again?" He flashed another sly smile.  
  
"Eighteen, in exactly." she cocked her head to the side, "six days."  
  
"Eighteen. Great age. So.legal and all,"  
  
"Ew," intervened Buffy, "Spike, don't be gross."  
  
"Hey, I'm not soulless," he retorted. A flash of pain flickered across her face before the Slayer turned her attention back to Leira.  
  
"So what are you doing here?" she was getting impatient with the coy girl who reminded her of Faith. Her guard was up. Leira smiled lazily, eternally smooth, clearly at ease.  
  
"Well I figured that if I really am destined for the whole "Shar'ayj Prophecy" thing I may as well spend some time in vamp central - Sunnydale. Nice town you got here by the way. Kinda cute, a bit lacking in the non- bloodsucking slash apocalypse-inducing excitement area, but hey it'll do." Anya glowed with relief, Dawn frowned, Xander glared at her analytically, Buffy remained non-plussed and Spike regarded the dark haired stranger with interest.  
  
"Quite right," Giles broke the silence. "There is a rather interesting prophecy, I took the liberty of researching a bit whilst Anya told Leira here about-" Anya grew rigid, but Leira slipped in quickly.  
  
"-How awful my trip here was. I had to hike with a deadbeat who was convinced Elvis lives."  
  
"Queue the violins," Mumbled Xander inaudibly.  
  
"Don't like violins. More of a percussion girl myself," smiled Leira happily. Xander hid his surprise with a sour look.  
  
"As I was saying," Giles huffed, "Leira is quite correct - Miki'ashi the warrior was foretold to face the labyrinth of Shar'ayj and lead the Slayer to destroy the bringer of doom or all will be lost."  
  
"Apocalypse? Again?" Whined Buffy. Frankly, dying twice was quite enough for her and another run in with the end of the world wasn't on her cards for at least another six months.  
  
"Oh it's a bit worse than that, pet," Spike replied coolly, ignoring the acidic glares from Giles, annoyed at the younger Brit having stolen his thunder. "Not only death and destruction to all things but it opens up a lovely little dimension to hell and what not. Souls tortured for eternity, blah, blah, blah."  
  
"And you're Miki'ashi?" Dawn eyed the girl of her own age with dislike. There was something in her complete confidence that unnerved the slight girl.  
  
"None other. Bought up learning tricks of the trade," grinned Leira, "then got the hell away from there."  
  
"You ran away from home?"  
  
"Yeah. Parents are hell. Try having two normal parents, six normal younger sisters and then try telling them you're part of an ancient prophecy to save the world. Doesn't go down to good. Then they find out you've been busy beating up a master of the Underworld - don't ask - who mysteriously disappears and leaves a baggie full of green slime on your doorstep. Not to mention the nasty business with a certain vamp.never mind," she smiled brilliantly, white teeth flashing. "Point is, they ain't gonna be treating you too normally after they find an assortment of stakes under your bed." Buffy nodded silently. She knew the feeling. But Dawn was still unsure.  
  
"You're sure your Miki'ashi? Isn't she supposed to be like, the amazing wonderful warrior girl? Teenage Xena?"  
  
"Well, I'm the amazing wonderful warrior girl. Don't know about the Lucy Lawless thing though, but hey, I could pull it off."  
  
"Oh." Dawn had no comeback. Xander pushed in.  
  
"So, why are you so sure you're Miki'ashi?" Xander couldn't keep his eyes off Anya. How can she be so happy? So at home. So perfectly comfortable and.happy?  
  
"This," the girl pulled her shirt up to her ribcage, revealing a birthmark shaped like a curling S, elongated with dots on each end and crossed with a diagonal slash. They examined her curiously, whilst Spike marveled more at the taunt young body. He may be dead and unloved by a certain someone, but he still had eyes.  
  
"Oh, and this," Leira drew a wooden disk from her pocket, tossed it in the air and quick as lightening drew out a dagger which flew straight and true to pin the disk against the wall neatly. It happened in less than a second. Leira shrugged easily, turning back to them.  
  
"Bad shot," she wrinkled her nose. "Feeling a bit off colour. Need sleep. Speaking of, anyone want to hold me up for the rest of the night?"  
  
Buffy opened her mouth to reply, but Spike beat her too it.  
  
"Well love, if you don't mind a bit of a squash I got one hell of a crypt."  
  
"Sounds great," Leira grinned at the vampire. "Thanks."  
  
Buffy didn't know whether to be alarmed or relieved.  
  
NEXT: ".You'd best be getting back to the Magic Box, Giles'll be wanting to do some nuclear testing on you or something."  
  
Leira and Spike. Bonding? Maybe. Drinking? Yes. And it seems she's not such a Normal Girl 


	3. Normal Girl

Normal Girl  
  
  
  
Spike poured a shot of vodka for Leira, who reclined in a chair, taking in the sights. She felt quite at home and strangely at ease with the dark stranger who was pumping alcohol into her. She checked her watch. 2am. They had been chatting easily for a few hours now, but it seemed time to touch the nasty subjects.  
  
"So," she crossed her legs, downing the glass easily and squirming slightly at the aftertaste, "William the Bloody, poet turned vamp reacquires his soul. Pray tell,"  
  
The bleached vampire paced in front of her, glowering as he told his tale, stopping every now and then for a shot of vodka or blood, sometimes both.  
  
".And now here I am, moping around like some bloody fool, all guilty and anguished."  
  
"As you would be," said Leira, smiling understandingly. "And the business with Buffy isn't going too good, I'm guessing?"  
  
"What.how.who.how do you know?" Spike felt lovesick and angry at the same time. Anya, he thought, the day that girl learns to keep her mouth shut.!  
  
"And no, it wasn't Anya," Leira made eye contact with him again, reading his thoughts and sending a shiver down his back, "its one of the few things she didn't tell me about. I guessed. Who wouldn't, what with all the sparks flying around."  
  
Spike made a sound in his throat thoughtfully. Leira chuckled lightly, and he noticed how her eyes sparkled mischievously.  
  
"It'll work out, I'm sure," she said knowingly. "I've met girls like her before. Hot then cold, nice then nasty. She'll come round to you. What girl wouldn't?" she laughed again, and Spike allowed himself to grin. Pains of Buffy aside, he had decided that maybe Leira was just the friend he'd been looking for.  
  
"What about you then, pet? Tales of New York?"  
  
"A few. Typical superhero trash though, normal girl grows up, normal girl starts to realize she's stronger and faster than the average teenager, normal girl meets a bit of a dark crowd, normal girl discovers she's supposed to save the world, normal girl not so normal anymore."  
  
"Ah, normal girl moves to Sunnydale."  
  
"Normal girl meets the Slayer and her bloodcurdling buddies." Leira stood up to put the shot glass on a table, and Spike walked closer to her, moving in until they were nose to nose. He cocked his head to the side and she followed his movement.  
  
"Normal girl goes home with strange vampire."  
  
"Normal girl accepts drinks from strange vampire."  
  
"Normal girl alone in crypt with strange vampire."  
  
"Normal girl ready to go to sleep," Leira smiled and tapped Spike on the nose. "Not with the strange vampire." She grinned again flirtatiously, "Serious, I'm wasted. Where am I crashing?" Her mood had switched to happy from serious in a split second.  
  
"Lounge," Spike suggested, dismayed but oddly intrigued with the girls behaviour. The fact she'd turned him down made him like her even more. For a few fleeting moments thoughts of Buffy had left his head, but she returned like a dagger through the soul.  
  
She's so different to her, he thought. Buffy was petite and blonde, this girl was able and dark haired. Where Buffy was closed, Leira was open. Where Buffy would stab him repeatedly with her words, Leira would make him laugh. Buffy was concerned with all things good, with being good, with doing good. But Leira had her dark side, her fickle side, the side where she would get dirty and not regret it. Stop it, he told himself. You've known her what, four hours?  
  
"Hello?" Leira waved a hand playfully in his face. "Sleepy person here."  
  
"Right. Make yourself at home love."  
  
"Okay," she sat back down, and pulled off her boots. She opened her bag, pulling out a white shirt and pajama pants. Spike knew it was his queue to leave, but he stayed. Leira seemed non-plussed, turned away from him and pulled of her shirt, putting on the white one and turning back to him. Spike stood, mesmerized. Buffy was beautiful, but so was Leira.  
  
"Modest boy, aren't we?" She asked cheekily, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Well pet, it's my crypt."  
  
"Mmm," she shrugged. Spike smiled again.  
  
"Best be off though. See you when you wake up."  
  
"Give me two hours, love," she mimicked him playfully, before reclining on the lounge, letting the stale smell of cigarettes and liquor wash over her. Crude, but comforting. * Exactly two hours later, Leira woke up. It was about five in the morning, but the inside of the crypt was still dark, flickering only with the dim light from candle flames. Spike sat in a corner, deep in thought. He noticed as Leira's eye flickered open.  
  
"Mornin' love," he cringed inwardly. How many times had he woken beside Buffy to say that, to see her smile tease at her lips?  
  
"Hey," Leira smiled. Nice guy. She peered at him and he peered back, both wondering what it would be like to wake up to those words and each other.  
  
"Sweet dreams, pet?"  
  
"Surprisingly, yes. Usually they're filled with the whole stake- through-the-heart scenario, but not this time. Six rounds of sweetness, daisies, chocolates, gummi bears, the whole shebang."  
  
"Good. Listen, you'd best be getting back to the Magic Box, Giles'll be wanting to do some nuclear testing on you or something."  
  
"Ah yes, Rupert Giles, ex-watcher. Funny guy. A bit.prattish."  
  
"Now that," pointed out Spike, "is one of the reasons I like you."  
  
"Yes, and that," Leira pointed to an empty bottle of vodka, "is one of the reasons I'm never going near liquor again. Hangover central."  
  
"Fancy a bit of scotch to bring the headache down, love?"  
  
"Please." * When Leira had left, Spike sat down on the lounge. There were barely any reminders of the nights he and Buffy had spent together, no remnants of their nights spent in passion.  
  
He felt like being sick. He hated himself, loathed himself for the things he'd done. Souls were a bitch. He was plagued with guilt, torrents of it, but he didn't show it. He knew how Angelus had felt, but he was stronger than Angelus, he reminded himself, he wouldn't fall apart.  
  
Then Buffy. What he'd done - tried to do - to Buffy followed him everywhere. Every time he saw her he saw her scared face, fighting, struggling beneath him. He hurt; his body ached with self-hatred whenever he thought of it. It was beneath low, it was beyond.he sighed. She would never forgive him. He'd tried to make her love him, he loved her still. With every fibre of his body, he worshipped her. But she hated him. She was disgusted with herself, disgusted with him. And it was all over.  
  
All over. He thought. All over, all over, all over. The words stabbed him as they repeated themselves. There was no way he could win her back. No way he could make her love him.  
  
And there was no way he was going to let her see the pain he caused her. No way in hell.  
  
  
  
NEXT: "You mean the non-committal man with the beady eyes?"  
  
The Scoobies find our just what this whole end-of-the world gig is, and all the gory details that come as a side dish to The Shar'ayj Prophecy  
  
NOTE: All you B/S fans (I know I'm a huge one) I'm not ruling them out, K?! Just giving Spike a bit of a wake-up call - not to give too much away. 


	4. The Shar'ayj Prophecy

The Shar'ayj Prophecy  
  
Leira would have stumbled into the Magic Box intoxicated if it weren't for her super strength, which, thank god, worked on hangovers as well. Never again, the told herself, Never again will I ever let a vampire sweet talk me into drinking ever again. She grinned to herself, knowing she'd break the promise sooner or later.  
  
She found the shop without too much trouble. Hanging around New York had made her pretty good at remembering locations. She pushed open the door, smiling at the cheerful bells that announced her arrival. A few of the gang were gathered around the table, piled with books. Anya popped her head up over an extremely large dusty looking one.  
  
"Hey Leira! How'd you sleep?"  
  
"Good, thanks," Leira smiled back. Anya was cheerful, beautiful and undeniably friendly, but Leira could see the affects Xander was having on her. Anya herself had, among a myriad of descriptions of gutting him, told the entire story of Xander, how he was a worthless male but she loved him nonetheless. Then the rather messy business with Spike that had blown over, thank god, but left Buffy scarred. Anya was adamant in her belief the two were meant to be together, but wasn't brave enough to tell anyone.  
  
Leira strode over the table, finding a seat and sitting down. It had been about six hours since she met the gang but she recognized them easily.  
  
Anya wrinkled her nose. "You smell like Spike."  
  
"Yeah I guess," Leira said, "but then again so does anything containing nicotine or alcohol."  
  
Anya giggled and Xander snorted into his book. They both looked up at each other, startled, then embarrassed. Anya looked away. How could he do this to me? I loved him so much -  
  
Buffy felt her stomach erupt into a strange feeling. Jealousy? She didn't think so. Who would be jealous of sleeping in Spikes crypt? He was a mangy gross evil vampire. She hated his name. It sent chills up her spine. But she didn't know whether they were excitement or loathing.  
  
"Here's something," Giles broke the uncomfortable silence. "About the Shar'ayj Prophecy. Rather long. It's in some sort of language I'm not familiar with." he tuned the book around so they could all see. "Anyone recognize it?"  
  
"Sure," Leira picked it up. "It's Jic-tas'yi"  
  
"What is with these names? Can't these people drop the whole consonant grouping stuff?" Buffy complained, looking at the page. It was a series of curved lines, dots, and slashes. Total mess.  
  
Leira looked at it. "Pen," she commanded, and began scribing.  
  
The Shar'ayj Prophecy  
  
In times to come one shall rise  
  
She is the Miki'ashi, the warrior  
  
She must face the great doom  
  
The plague of evil, the bringer of death And the Goodseeker shall follow her Those loyal shall weave through passages In the Labyrinth of Shar'ayj Till they seek out the great doom Should those who brave the walls succeed Then all will be saved Should they fail The world will churn The waters boil The earth spew fire up to the sky The people will fall Forever fall Into the depths of hell And more beseech them a future of pain Miki'ashi and the Goodseeker are the hope They are the iron sword to cut the beast Let them travel the tunnels Slay the monsters, fight the spells And make their way to the great doom Or all will be lost  
  
She read it out. "Cheery."  
  
"Yeah. I appreciate the whole descriptiveness of the end of the world, but could we possibly get some insight into when the Labyrinth will appear?"  
  
"Patience, Buffy," Giles warned, reading the scripture once more, "This is very important. It offers some clues to the actual event. Obviously Leira must go, but I'm guessing you're the Goodseeker. That means you two will have to spend some time together. If this prophecy really is as big as it says then you will have to be very attuned to each other."  
  
"It also says stuff about 'those loyal'. I suppose that's us. We're loyal, right?" Xander furrowed his brow.  
  
"We'll I'm loyal, I don't know about some other people," Anya almost hissed at him. The wound was still fresh.  
  
"Hey, guys, chill," said Leira, "end of world, remember?"  
  
Xander glared. It was like she was taking over.  
  
"Leira's right," Buffy said, startling him. She'd been unusually quiet lately; Spike's reappearance in town had shocked her for a while. "We really need to do some more research. Find out dates and stuff. And more about this bringer of doom guy. He doesn't seem the type to bring good tidings."  
  
"Exactly." Giles came in again. He regretted ever leaving, and was trying desperately to make up for it. Oh, and the fact that he might be tortured forever was playing a little part in his eagerness to solve the prophecy. "Xander, you keep working. Buffy, I need to talk to you. And Leira, I believe Anya needs to discuss some business with you as well."  
  
"Bye guys," Buffy followed Giles out. Xander excused himself and headed for a corner far away from them. Anya dropped her book.  
  
"Thank god," Leira noticed a magazine similar to Vogue hidden behind the leather book. "Anyway," she chirruped, "I figured while you're here we can do round about. You know, rosters for where you'll stay each night. It'll move you around a bit, going somewhere every night, but if you leave and someone's had you more than others they'll get all huffy." Her voice had been rising and it was clear who she was talking about "And upset and go all quiet and sulk because they're impatient self-centered people incapable of commitment!" Leira said nothing, somewhat amused. Anya slapped a piece of paper on the table.  
  
"Here. You're with me tonight, Then Xander," she cringed at his name, "then Buffy then Spike and so on. Good organizing huh?"  
  
"Very well done," Leira agreed. "So what are we supposed to do?"  
  
"Sit around while the non-committal man finds out what to do."  
  
"You mean the non-committal man with the beady eyes?"  
  
"None other."  
  
"This is gonna take awhile."  
  
Anya gave her an appreciative smile.  
  
* Giles paced uncomfortably. Buffy stood rooted the spot, her head following him as he moved. He stopped, and fixed her with a tired gaze.  
  
"Buffy, I'm worried about these Shar'ayj Prophecies."  
  
"What do you mean?" the blonde Slayer cocked her head to the side, "it's only another end-of-the-world disaster thingy."  
  
"No Buffy, I think it may be more than that." His voice was weary, heavy.  
  
"Giles?" she was starting to worry, "what is it?"  
  
"It's - I don't know if we can make it through this time." he faltered, tiptoeing around the words, "I mean, we've done it before, but now - everything's so stressed and.look at it rationally. Dawn's only just getting back on track. Xander and Anya, I swear the room will erupt in fire one day. Willows still recovering.Spike's got his soul back and god knows how much it must drag him down and you, Buffy - I'm not sure if you can cope."  
  
Buffy just stared at him. No words. She had nothing to say.  
  
NEXT: "Sex dream?"  
  
This whole Leira problem is rather confusing. And it gets worse when Spike starts having Dreams 


End file.
